Sectional field announced for 2011 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships

The path to crowning collegiate national champions for the 2010-11 season became a little clearer Tuesday as the United States Bowling Congress announced sectional-qualifying assignments for the 2011 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships.

The four sectional qualifiers will be held March 12-13 at AMF Parkway Lanes in Allentown, Pa.; Holiday Bowl-Brainerd in Chattanooga, Tenn.; Landmark Lanes in Peoria, Ill.; and AMF Euless Lanes in Euless, Texas.

The top four teams in each division at each sectional will advance to the 2011 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships, which will be held April 20-23 at AMF Peach Lanes in Columbus, Ga.

On the men's side, Webber International, the No. 1 program in Team Ranking System points, will compete in the Chattanooga sectional along with No. 5 Lindenwood. No. 2 Robert Morris-Illinois will headline the field at the Peoria sectional, while No. 3 Wichita State, the reigning men's national champions, will head to the Euless sectional. No. 4 Purdue will be the top-ranked team in Allentown.

In women's competition, No. 1 Wichita State will be the featured team at the Euless sectional. No. 2 McKendree and No. 4 Robert Morris-Illinois will head to the Peoria sectional, while No. 3 Lindenwood will compete in the Chattanooga sectional. No. 5 Central Florida will participate in the Allentown sectional.

Sectional assignments are based on the Team Ranking System points earned in USBC Collegiate-certified competition throughout the season. USBC Collegiate attempts to place no more than two of the top eight schools and no more than four of the top 16 schools in a sectional based on final TRS totals. Sectional qualifier fields are determined by taking geographic distance, economics and field size into consideration.

The sectionals will consist of 32 Baker games each day for a total of 64 Baker games. The top four teams based on total pinfall in each division following the completion of competition at each sectional will advance to the 2011 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships.

In addition, these four locations will host qualifying for the 2010 USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships on March 11. Competitors at each of the four sectional events will bowl six games with 24 men and 16 women - the top four men and top four women at each sectional plus eight additional selections from the men's field based on size of field at each location - advancing to the national singles tournament on May 23-24 at AMF Euless in Euless, Texas.